Devotion
by Jade Fervidus
Summary: Second of 'A Lesson In...' series. After their first night together, Caleb and Reid must face Pogue, Tyler and their peers, and make the decision whether or not they can survive the prejudices. CD/RG, PP/TS. Rated for language and slash.


**A Lesson In: Devotion**  
by  
Jade Fervidus

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**Rating:** M  
**Pairing/s:** Reid/Caleb, Pogue/Tyler  
**Genre:** Friendship/Love  
**Fandom:** The Covenant

**Warnings: **_Swearing_, dearies. _Homosexual relationships_. _Degrading names _of _gays_.

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**Disclaimer: **I do not own The Covenant, its characters or settings: Renny Harlin and Screen Gems do. I just like using them for my own tales.

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"Ten bucks says Reid fucked Caleb."

"Pogue!"

The blond in question smirked at his younger lover. His eyes glinted in the early morning sun and the wind tousled his hair. "Tyler," he said sweetly as he pulled the younger man towards him by the loops on his jeans, "will you relax? I promise you they won't kill us."

Resting his head on Pogue's shoulder, Tyler sighed. "I know," he muttered. "But I don't want them to be angry with us."

"Why would they be angry? Because we had the balls to do what they refused?" The biker wrapped his arms around Tyler's waist.

The dark-haired boy stepped out of the embrace. Pogue sighed: only his lover to feel guilty over doing the right thing. He stepped closer to Tyler, pulling him back into his arms. "First of all, you ain't getting' away from me that easily. Second, how can you think we're wrong? We helped them get what they both wanted."

"But they didn't want our help!" Tyler protested.

"Then they should've gotten up off their asses and done it themselves," Pogue countered.

"We had no right to interfere!"

_Ty just won't quit, _Pogue thought with a sigh. So, instead of arguing with words, Pogue did what he was best at: speaking with actions. While his lover was in mid-sentence, the blond leant forward and kissed his boyfriend.

Tyler was surprised but quickly responded. He fisted his fingers in Pogue's hair, keeping him close. The youngest felt Pogue's arms circle his waist and he could feel his hard chest pressing against his own. He moaned quietly as he felt the biker's hands tracing the muscles on his sides. Someone clearing their throat caused them to spring apart.

It was Caleb and Reid.

Seeing the blond's customary smirk, Tyler had no doubt over who had interrupted them. He scowled and muttered, "Asshole."

"You love me, Baby Boy," snickered Reid. He and Caleb walked over towards them and that's when they noticed it: Reid's arm was around Caleb's waist.

A quick glance to the left showed Tyler that Pogue had noticed it too. "So…" The biker questioned suggestively, raising an eyebrow. "Did it work?"

Caleb blushed, pink tingeing his cheeks. Tyler thought it was cute, and Pogue obviously thought it was funny, judging by his laugh a second later. Tyler planted an elbow into his lover's ribs, which promptly shut his mouth. "Obviously it did," reprimanded Tyler, "now don't be an asshole."

"But he does it so well," Reid countered.

"Shut it, Blondie, or I'll kick your ass," Pogue glared.

Caleb surprised everyone as he spoke. "You gotta go through me first."

Tyler raised an eyebrow at the situation playing out before him. "You even think about touching Pogue and I will break your every last appendage," he threatened.

"Okay, okay, let's settle, darlings," Reid tittered, vaguely reminding Tyler of Molly Weasley from _Harry Potter_. "We wouldn't want to start any fights now, would we?"

Pogue grinned. "I'm scared, man. You did that voice too well."

Reid flipped him the middle finger. "Whatever, gay boy."

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't you gay too?" the older blond remarked.

"Pfft, I'm no bitch!" The snarky blond snorted as he puffed out his chest. "I don't take it from anyone."

"That's not the impression I got," Caleb snickered.

Tyler's mouth dropped open. _Reid takes it, _he thought. He couldn't imagine it: his best friend, a man who had been a wanker since he was old enough to walk, was a bottom? It didn't make sense. But it was still funny. "Aww, did Caleb make you his bitch, Reidy-boy?" the youngest asked through his snickering.

Reid, refusing to back down, shot a glare at his best friend. "Guess we have something else in common, Baby Boy," he smirked.

Tyler hummed. "That's true: I won't deny it. But it's _so _good!" The brunette winked as Pogue's mouth fell open.

"Tyler!" Pogue sounded scandalized, which amused the other boy. "Are you a chick? That shit stays between us."

Cool and collected, Tyler replied, "We both know that I'm definitely not a woman. And I have the physical proof. Besides, you think that I don't know that you tell Caleb about us? Caleb loves me: he tells me everything."

Pogue glared daggers at Caleb, causing the other boys to laugh harder. Caleb grinned. "You never told me that I had to hide it from him," he shrugged.

Pogue shook his head in exasperation. "I can't win," he muttered as he turned on his heel and proceeded to walk towards their school. "I _cannot_ win. Life is _so_ unfair."

Sharing a laugh, the three other boys followed.

The sunlight warmed their faces as they strolled down the road, crisp wind shuffled the leaves and whistled quietly. Birds flew around their heads and chirped softly. It was an unusually sunny day in Ipswich and it was a shame that they had to spend it in class.

"So, are you guys together or what?" Tyler broke the silence. He shifted his bag on his shoulder as he looked sideways at his friends. Pogue was still ten metres ahead of them.

"Umm…" Caleb sent a sidelong look at the blond next to him. "I don't know. Are we?"

Reid rolled his eyes. "Of course, Caleb." His arm snaked around Caleb's waist and threaded his fingers through his belt loop. "When two people fuck, they are usually together. Didn't you know that?"

Caleb narrowed his eyes. "I knew that; don't insult my intelligence. But that's not usually how you work. You usually love 'em and leave 'em."

Only Tyler saw the pain flash across the blond's face, quickly followed by the steely resolve. "Well… you aren't a usual case," Reid admitted quietly.

The brunettes smiled. Tyler knew that Reid had had a problem with accepting that he was attracted to Caleb, even though he had never had a problem with gays. 'Live and let live,' was his motto. After a while, though, it didn't bother him as much and Tyler had managed to convince him to give it a shot. The youngest brunette also knew how difficult it must have been for Reid to admit what he had just said.

"Well, I'm glad you guys are happy," smiled Tyler. And he genuinely was. "Are you going to tell anyone? I mean, aside from the people who already know. And the people who have bets on."

Reid snorted. "I dunno. It's up to Caleb. But I would absolutely fuckin' _love_ the chance to rub it in Sarah's face. Two-faced, fucked up, overrated, skanky, slutty, AIDS-infested-"

"Okay, okay!" Caleb interrupted, much to Tyler's amusement. "Let's stop it right there. I know you hate her, but calling her 'AIDS-infested' would mean I have AIDS too."

Reid's blue eyes were narrowed. "You know I didn't mean it like that."

"Yeah, I know," Caleb smiled gently to placate his blond, "but I don't like hearing those words come out of your mouth. No matter how true they are or how much she deserves it."

Reid snorted but wisely closed his mouth.

The threesome caught up with Pogue, who had stopped walking. His customary grin was back on his face, which made Tyler smile. The brunette's smile widened as Pogue's arm snaked around his waist. "So, what did happen after we left?" Pogue asked.

Caleb grinned as a flush crept up Reid's neck. The blond cleared his throat. "We argued, fucked, slept, had the awkward morning after… Y'know."

Tyler nodded and bit his tongue to keep his mouth shut. He saw the dirty look Reid threw him and couldn't suppress a snicker. They said nothing more as they crossed the street and walked on to Spenser's campus.

The Sons ignored the looks that the other students sent them. It was no secret that Tyler and Pogue were together: they'd been official for over a month now, but some students, particularly some of the girls, still weren't over it. The couple had learned to ignore the dirty looks and whispers from the more ignorant students. But they also knew they had the full support of the people who mattered, so they didn't care.

Tyler sighed; the constant onslaught had turned school into a chore. Honestly, why couldn't people just leave them alone? It was none of their business anyway. And it's not like it was anything new, as there were plenty of gay students at Spenser. It wasn't taboo or anything. He heaved another sigh, knowing that it was his last name that attracted all the attention.

"Tyler!"

The foursome halted on their way to Lit. at the call of Tyler's name. The young brunette turned to see a girl with black hair and an olive complexion leaving her group of friends. He smiled, knowing this could only be good.

"Hey, Elisabetta!" Tyler smiled as the girl drew closer. He gave her a one-armed hug. "What's up?"

She grinned as the other Sons greeted her. "Hey, boys," she winked playfully. "Tyler, have you done that assignment for Human Bio. yet?"

It was no surprise when Tyler nodded. "Yeah, of course. Are you having trouble with it?"

The girl nodded, lips pursed in agitation. "Yeah, I don't fully understand..."

Pogue, Reid and Caleb shook their heads: Elisabetta was a female version of their Baby Boy. At first, Pogue had been worried about how close they were and wondered if he had any competition with her, but he soon found his worries were unnecessary. The biker, unbeknownst to others, thought it was cute when the two fell into their own little world, fully intent on study and classes. He smiled.

Reid made a noise like a cracking whip. Pogue shot him a dirty look as Caleb chuckled. "Shut it, Garwin."

The blond poked his tongue out. "You know it's true. I have never seen anyone so whipped. It's kind o' pathetic."

The biker raised an eyebrow. "I don't think you're in any position to call me whipped, Blondie." He snickered at the glare Reid gave him.

Caleb watched the interaction with an interested look. He knew that Pogue was blackmailing Reid, even if it was subtle. He also knew that Pogue had been one of the main factors in getting him and Reid together, and that the biker had a lot of dirt on both of them. In all the times Pogue had told him he was being a stubborn wanker when it came to the blond, he never clicked that Pogue was so sure because he _knew_. But now he did.

"I think Pogue holds all the trump cards this time, Reid," Caleb said quietly.

"Damn straight I do," Pogue grinned. "If you guys hadn't have been so fucking ignorant and didn't have your heads up your own asses, you would've realised that this was meant to happen a helluva lot sooner. So, you have nobody to blame but yourselves." His grin was triumphant.

"Asshole," was all Reid replied with, knowing that his brother spoke the truth.

The boys' attention was dragged back to Tyler and Elisabetta, who were still talking about their assignment, by the arrival of another woman. She was Elisabetta's girlfriend, Naomi. She nodded towards them in greeting: Caleb, Reid and Pogue had only met her once or twice, but she was a nice girl. She wrapped her arms around Elisabetta's waist and no-one could miss the smile that spread across her face. "You trying to steal my girlfriend, Simms?" she baited with a mock hurt expression.

Tyler chuckled. "Of course not. I'm very happy with mine."

The Sons held a lot of respect for these two women: they were the first openly gay couple on campus. They had never expected a warm reception, and the students of Spenser didn't disappoint. Elisabetta and Naomi had suffered the whispers and crude comments of their supposed friends. But they stayed together and endured it all, and were as happy now as they were two years ago.

"Hey!" What Tyler had said clicked in Pogue's head. "I'm not your girlfriend."

Tyler and the girls laughed. "Of course not, baby," Tyler soothed his boyfriend with a kiss, and the girls aww'd.

"What is this?" A distasted voice called out. "A lesbian alliance club meeting?"

The Sons sighed at the speaker: it was Aaron Abbott, closely followed by Bordy Becklin and Ryan Bael. It wasn't a surprise to anyone that he was the biggest homophobe in the school. Caleb often stated that his ignorance would get him killed: Reid always added that he was going to be the one to do it.

"What do you want, dickhead?" hissed Reid. It didn't escape Caleb's attention that his lover and Pogue had stepped forward, or that Tyler had moved in front of the girls. He sighed: he knew Elisabetta and Naomi still got a lot of crap, and most of it was from Aaron, but he knew that their presence was going to make it worse.

"Watch it, asshole," Aaron replied, arms folded over his chest. "Remember who you're talking to."

Reid mimicked his stance. The other Sons knew that Reid was itching not to hit Aaron: he may be a wanker - most of the time - but he was behaving because of the girls. And they knew it too. Tyler saw the frown appear on Naomi's face and he gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. "I try not to remember you. But you keep popping up like some fucking sunflower."

Chuckles sounded from the group that had congregated around them. Aaron scowled, but shifted his gaze over to Naomi and Elisabetta. "God, you two still together? Lizzy, why haven't you come to your senses?"

The boys were angry. Naomi and Elisabetta had endured so much, but it was obvious that Naomi constantly worried about losing her lover. They were incredibly different. Elisabetta was a beautiful Italian woman, with the beauty and brains to make any other woman jealous. Naomi was English with blonde hair and blue eyes, and didn't care enough to apply herself. Naomi was constantly at odds with herself and worrying that Elisabetta would find someone else.

Elisabetta's expression was stony. "Because I love her," she replied succinctly. "Not that love is something you'll ever understand."

Aaron stepped forward in anger, but Pogue cut him off. "You even think about laying a hand on either of those girls, and I will hurt you, asshole."

_Thank God for small favours, _Caleb thought to himself as Aaron looked between Pogue and Reid, twin expressions of hatred on their faces, and stepped back.

"Whatever, fag." Aaron was sour about being trumped. "You still taking it up the ass from Simms?"

"Go fuck yourself, you ignorant wanker." Tyler surprised everyone as he stepped forward. His expression was steely. "You're just jealous that you don't get to. You still bitter and twisted that Kira left you? Even _she_ saw sense and fucked you off. But you don't get to start on us because you're a dickhead."

Caleb and Reid saw the grin on Pogue's face: trust Tyler to fight using common sense. Reid still wanted to hit him, but Caleb's hand holding his wrist prevented it. The oldest Son sighed and whispered to the girls to leave. Elisabetta and Naomi looked as if they wanted to argue, but their friends appeared and pulled them away. Reid and Caleb turned their attention back to the fight in front of them.

"- you gay fag. You don't get to tell me how the fuck I think. You don't know shit." Again, Aaron was being a dick.

Tyler's only response was to raise an eyebrow. Only the Sons could see the tension in his shoulders that gave his anger away. Their youngest had never been a violent person but he was more than capable of holding his own if push came to shove. "Whatever, Abbott. You're nothing but an immature, insecure little boy who picks on people to make himself feel better about his shit life. You've been pushing our buttons since kindergarten and it stops today: right fucking now. Get over yourself, grow up and move on. We have."

For the first time in their memories, Aaron Abbott looked at a loss for words. His face said it all: he was angry, pissed, upset, suppressing the urge to hit something and... _hurt?_

Tyler could see it too, but he ignored it. "You're pathetic. And if you ever bother us or Elisabetta and Naomi again, I won't stop Reid from smashing you." He turned, pushed between Reid and Caleb and walked down the hallway.

Stunned, the other three Sons followed him. They had never seen that side of Tyler. But, supposed Caleb, it had made sense.

Tyler was a passionate, loving person. Anyone who knew him could tell. And Aaron constantly exploited. His remark about Tyler's relationship with Pogue had been what set him off. Their youngest was upset; they could all see it.

"Where does that homophobic asshole get off?" growled Tyler as they entered their deserted classroom. "He has no fucking right to start on Elisabetta or Naomi or us like that! Stupid wanker's fucking jealous that we have what he'll never get... What's the bet Bordy or Ryan fuck him day in, day out, just so he doesn't feel useless..."

Reid and Caleb exchanged a glance with Pogue. He shrugged. Tyler was beyond furious and there was nothing to be done until he calmed down. All three could feel the Power surrounding them, fuelled by Tyler's anger.

"It's just so hard." Tyler's abrupt change in tone scared them. "I mean, why do gays get so much shit? It's not like we choose to like our own sexual preference... It just happens." The brunette sighed. "We shouldn't be discriminated against by jerks like him who are too immature to understand."

Pogue recognised his cue. He walked over to his younger lover and wrapped his arms around his waist. Tyler stiffened, but sunk into the embrace. "Are you... regretting us?" The blond asked quietly.

Caleb and Reid shared a look: they couldn't believe what they had just heard. It seemed as if Pogue had forgotten they were there. This was a conversation they weren't supposed to hear. The oldest of the two gestured to the door with his head and the blond followed him out.

They sat on the floor by the door, propped up against the wall. They were silent, both of their minds filled with what had occurred that morning. The pain in Tyler's eyes, Aaron's discrimination, Pogue's hesitancy... Were they willing to go through that for each other?

"Can we handle this?" asked Caleb quietly. He was staring at his hands.

Reid was silent for a long time, no doubt thinking over an answer. "Yes." His voice was shaky, an uncharacteristic occurrence.

Somehow, that one word was exactly what Caleb needed to hear. So what if the world was full of shallow-minded idiots? As long as they were happy, none of it mattered. They had the support and love of everyone who mattered. They were both headstrong, they could deal with anything.

Caleb grabbed Reid's hand in his own, interlocking their fingers. He fully expected the blond to call him a girl when he squeezed the appendage gently but all he received was a squeeze in return. He looked up and locked his brown eyes on his lover's blue: they were full of resolve, and Caleb knew that they had come to the same conclusion.

They could handle anything the world could throw at them, as long as they had each other.

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**Author's Note: **Well, I'm back! Firstly, I'd like to give everyone a _huge _thank-you for sticking with me! It's been almost a full year since I posted 'A Lesson in Love', but I only gained the inspiration for this a few days ago. Since then, the words have just poured out.

So, I hope this continuation didn't disappoint! And thanks again to everyone! :)

_** Edited on 22 December, 2010. **_


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